Acceptance
by inkeyes7
Summary: Eloise Midgen has had a crush on Harry Potter for as long as she could remember. In her fifth year when Snape pairs them together for a potions assignment, will she get the chance she's been waiting for, or will the impending war destroy it all?
1. The Secret Life of Daydreams

_Author's Note: After reading so many great stories from this site I thought I might try and write own of my own. This is my first fanfiction and I hope to make it as good as possible so please give me feedback, good or bad. Thank you Arza and Rweand for inspiring me to write this, and to SerpentsAttire, my beta reader._

_Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and it's characters belong to J.K Rowling. I just play Gumbi._

**Acceptance**

Chapter 1: The Secret Life of Daydreams

"Pass the butter please, Eloise," said Dorithea Midgen, as she scanned The Daily Prophet absentmindedly, every once in a while taking a small sip from the rose colored teacup held delicately in the tips of her fingers.

Eloise, who had finished her breakfast long ago, looked up from tracing the outline of the elaborately embroidered white lace tablecloth.

"Yes mother," she replied automatically, her monotone voice matching her eyes, the spark in them not having yet been lit so early in the morning.

She lifted the golden plate and extended it out into her mother's uplifted palm. Their hands brushed for a second, but Dorithea did not look up, too absorbed in her world of luxury.

Eloise turned her gaze away from the table, and instead stared out the window onto the perfectly trimmed lawn, lost in thought._ 'How ridiculous it is, she mused, that you have to wait for the other to finish eating before leaving. If you have nothing of use to say to each other, why prolong the silence by waiting even longer?'_ How she longed for Hogwarts! There, there was no one commenting on her every move, no dissapointment and disgust etched across their faces at the mere sight of her. What a tragedy that I have but three years left!

"How fortunate that you have but three more years left of school," declared Mrs. Midgen, drawing Eloise out of her reverie. "It seems as though Dumbledore has finally lost his touch, if not quite as recently as one had originally thought. Just yesterday afternoon during tea I heard from Mrs. Lavish the most appalling news - that three years ago one of the professors at your school was in fact a werewolf! And that Harry Potter – simply dreadful the way he's been behaving. Why one would almost think that-"

But Eloise did not hear what one would almost think, for as soon as the words Harry Potter had reached her ears, everything else seemed to slip out of focus, as if the name itself was so powerful that all things else would just melt into one big meaningless puddle. Harry, Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived, the hero of Gryffindor, the youngest seeker in a century.

He was good looking, no doubt about that, but there was something… something more… It was his personality more then anything that she was so attracted to. She had known countless examples of kids who, once having gotten their fifteen minutes of fame, not only looked down upon others, but expected them to bow down as well. She assumed he would be just the same, if not more so. Instead of being arrogant and self righteous he was shy, avoiding at all costs being called a martyr.

She even now still remembered the first day they had met, the memory locked away deep down in the depths of her mind, taken only out carefully every once in a while, as if she was afraid it would disintegrate at her mere touch, like a dried out rose.

_She had been walking, no, staggering more likely, under the amount of books stuffed in her book bag. She was late to history, and her friends hadn't bothered to wait for her when she had stopped at the bathroom to wash the ink that had spilled from the bottle off her hands. _

_Turning around she had stared hopelessly at the seemingly endless doors, and the staircases above them. It was her first day and she would be late to class. So much for making a good impression. And she had tried so hard, picking her clothes out the day before, trying to follow along with the endless chatter of the other girls. She had known that going to school would be a big change, but she had vowed that she would try as hard as she could to fit in. But they had seen right through her, the other high class girls. They had known just by looking at her plump figure, the pink butterfly clips in her curly brown hair, the absence of glamour charms from her face that she wasn't one of them, no matter what family or class she came from. _

_Suddenly it seemed vital to get to class on time. If she didn't she would never forgive herself, and the guilt of not making an effort would forever haunt her. If she didn't fit in she didn't want it to be because she hadn't tried hard enough, it would be because she just wasn't born to be one of them._

_With revived determination she set off again, now carrying her bag in both arms instead of slung over her back. Her entire concentration was focused on walking, walking, walking, until she found a portrait on the wall that she could recognize from when she had passed the history classroom earlier that day after breakfast. One, two, three, steps she counted, the rhythmic sound of her heels echoed against the stone floor oddly comforting._

_She was so absorbed in counting her steps that she didn't notice a slightly uneven stone protruding from the surface. The top of her shoe catching the crevice underneath the rock she tripped, book bag and all flying in the air and landing on the cold floor with a loud thump. _

_Laying on the floor, Eloise closed her eyes, feeling her self esteem and optimism falling out of sight down a bottomless pit. Who was she kidding anyway? There was no way she could do this, she was ugly, fat and unsociable. Tears threatened to break way. _'Don't cry!' she pleaded to herself. 'Please don't start crying, Eloise. Don't be a baby.'

_"Errrr... are you okay?" _

_The voice was hesitant, quiet, barely above a whisper. She looked up to see a thin boy fidgeting with the cuffs of his long black sleeves. He was her age with messy black hair, his glasses slightly lopsided on the edge of his small nose. But it was his eyes that drew her in the most, bright emerald green eyes, staring shyly back into hers._

_He reached out his hand, pulling her upwards, steadying her on her feet as she swayed slightly, her heart pounding wildly. _

_"Are you alright?" he repeated again, looking at her with concern as he bent down to pick up her fallen books that lay scattered across the corridor floor. _

_She nodded now, timidly, her mind having finally caught up with her heart. He stood up, his arms full of her books, Eloise grabbed her bag and immediately hastened to share the burden, almost afraid that his frail figure would topple over like she had under the weight. _

_"Yes... yes, I'm fine," she mumbled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear self consciously. _

_She looked at the ground, anywhere, anywhere, but his face. _

_"Umm... do you know where transfiguration is?" he asked. _

_She looked up, meeting his eyes once more. _

_"Uhh yes, I think I do. It was... by the portrait of the toad and the lizard." _

_He sighed and smiled a small smile. "Thanks. You... you trying to find a class too?" _

_At the sight of his smile, Eloise found she couldn't speak. Her mouth seemed unwilling to connect with her mind. _'Talk you idiot! Say something!'

_"Umm... no. I mean yes. I can't find History of Magic." _

_He pointed down the hallway in the opposite direction. "Just down to the left."_

_It was her turn to smile, and she did, though there were so many books in her hands that she wasn't sure he could see. _

_"Well... I'll see you around then."_

_"You... you too."_

_And he left, his thin form growing smaller and smaller. She watched him, motionless until he had disappeared completely._

_She walked into the classroom, still slightly lightheaded from their encounter. Slowly but surely she glided across the floor, a faint smile upon her lips, her mind still back in the hallway replaying the scenario over and over again like a broken record. _

_The girls watched her, bewildered by the sudden change. Some snickered rudely as she passed, but if she either cared or noticed she did not show it, but confidently slid into her seat with grace, completely oblivious to Rebecca 's stare or Anne's hushed whispers. _

_"Eloise?"_

"Eloise? Are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

She blinked, surprised for a second to see herself surrounded by spotless white walls instead of stone ones.

"Yes Ann-, I mean mother," she said, shaking herself, removing her fist from underneath her chin, and turning her focus on Dorithea's imposing figure sitting perfectly straight and finishing slowly the last of her raspberry scone.

"For heavens sake sit up straighter, you're beginning to look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame," her mother reprimanded.

_'Do not roll your eyes. Don't even think about it. Just do it'._ She struggled against the hard frame of the wooden chair and managed to align her back with it, though not without wincing.

Dorithea opened her mouth as if to start on another lecture, but then closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair, looking suddenly tired and as bored as Eloise was.

"You may be excused. Be here for dinner at 7:30 sharp."

Carefully she stood up and pulled in her chair, trying to make as little sound as possible. Then, keeping her shoulders back and her neck arched she tried her best to float across the dining room like her mother so often, wincing when she instead stumbled slightly on the way out.

Once outside her body relaxed and she greedily took great gulps from the fresh air. The sun hit her light blue navy robe and the warmth enveloped her like a big bubble, the heat crawling up her arms and then resting lightly on her fingertips. She shivered slightly and continued walking, enjoying the sensation of the wind playing with her hair, a cooling breeze. The sweet sound of birds from overhead contrasted nicely with the hustle of the leaves from the branches of many trees. Early morning light broke it's rays through the mist, promising another perfect summer day.

Heading towards the pond Eloise gratefully sat down in the shade of her favorite willow tree, leaning against the firm and strong trunk. The smoke from the kitchen chimneys drifted towards the pond where it tangled gently to blend in with tendrils of white mist hanging in the willow branches.

Closing her eyes, she slipped back into the past once more.

_Hogwarts was by all means not a small school and for a what seemed like a long time she searched for him. At dinner she looked down the tables, not noticing that he was but a few seats away between Ron and Hermione. In between classes she would sit down at one of the benches in the hallways pretending to read, but looking up whenever someone passed by, trying to find the face of the small shy boy, not knowing that he avoided the hallways like the plague where he would constantly be stared at and followed by whispers._

_Finally a week later she found him, walking with Jasmine Ashe across the grounds in the early afternoon during break._

_As they walked further and further down the hill to Herbology class the number of students thinned out, giving way to nothing but pleasant silence. _

_When they were but a few steps from the greenhouses Jasmine let out a small gasp, her gaze fastened on something on the top of the hill. _

_"Eloise! There's Harry Potter!" she squealed in delight. "And he's practically alone, except for some other guy! Here is our chance to meet a celebrity! Come on while there's still time!" _

_"Uhh..." She had never been very comfortable talking or even being in the presence of boys. You always had the pressure on you to say something funny or cool, something at which she had never succeeded at. She didn't like the way they acted either, all that loud talking about pounding on each other, they practically screamed for attention. The mere idea of actually wanting to spend time with them was completely alien to her._

_Jasmine however, was completely deaf to her lack of enthusiasm. Pulling her arm, she yanked her towards the direction of the two boys. _

_"No! Please, Jasmine! It would be much better if you went and talked to them, and I stay right here." _

_"For Merlin's sake Eloise, they aren't going to rip your head off or anything!" said Jasmine, exasperated, still pulling her up to the hill, her hand holding firmly to her arm._

_They reached the top, and found themselves in a small clearing. The two boys were talking, the red head was waving his hands about as if to demonstrate something to the other boy. He was shorter, with black hair and... glasses? _

_"That's Harry Potter? The one with black hair?!" she said, dumbstruck._

_Jasmine looked at her. "Of course it is! Haven't you seen him before?"_

_"I... I just remembered! I have to go and get my quill, I lent it to Rebecca!" _

_"Can't you at least wait for one second?" Jasmine said, torn between meeting Harry and being left alone. _

_"I'll be late if I don't hurry up!" she yelled, already half way down the hill. "I'll talk to you later!" _

_"Damn right you will!" she yelled back at her._

_And so it was that she found out who he was. At first she was confused. Surely, surely that couldn't be him! Harry Potter, the celebrity, helping her, Eloise Midgen, pick up her books? It didn't seem possible. _

_But as the next few weeks went by, she observed that Harry Potter was indeed nice but shy, helpful, with good manners. So, it came to be. Harry Potter, her first crush. She never spoke to him forever avoiding any possible encounter. What if she made a mistake, made a fool of herself in front of him? Better to not to exist, then to exist as an embarrassing memory of something she'd done. _

"Hello Miss! Fine day it is, isn't it?"

She looked up into the beaming smile of Ben the gardener.

Lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, she smiled back at him.

"It is a beautiful day. Just as you predicted. How do you do it?"

He took a piece of bread from his pocket and began throwing it to the swans in the lake. "Well, me dad taught me all I know. Whenever there is a cool breeze, when the grasshoppers and buzzing bees are content, when the birds sing, all is well.

Ripping apart the last piece of bread and throwing it to the clamoring swans, he turned back to her. "Before I forget, here's the morning paper. Your mom just finished reading it."

She took the roll and unraveled it. "Thank you Ben. Thank you very much."

Ben stretched, and tipped his hat to her. "Enjoy the summer while you can, miss. I must be off to tend to those poinsettias, they are always going off and dying on me."

Whistling a tune she didn't recognize he was off again, a slight spring to his walk.

She glanced back down at the paper, the familiar bold letters, "The Daily Prophet" displayed at the top. On the front page was a photograph that she had seen numerous times when she was kid, a picture of Albus Dumbledore.

**The End of Albus Dumbledore?**

_Albus Dumbledore was once one the most brilliant and sought out person of our time. But have the many long years as headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry proved to be too much for one man? Just yesterday he has been been voted out of Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards and last month was demoted from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot. Even now there are rumors that he may not return to Hogwarts and instead retire. "The Ministry has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "We feel that it may be the right time for him to step down and make way for a new headmaster that the Ministry should find appropriate and select."_

_Dumbledore's speech on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was met by many cries of outrage in the wizarding community. He insists that Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic should recognize his return and immediately 'remove Azkaban from the control of the Dementors' despite the fact that Dementors have guarded the prison for decades without incident and that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been dead for fifteen years. _

_Meanwhile Harry James Potter who believes to have seen He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named return has been reported to having headaches, nightmares, and hallucinations during school. Whether these are just attention seeking signs or evidence to mental instability many parents of students at Hogwarts are becoming increasingly uneasy about their children's welfare if Mr. Potter will be attending the school this year. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about Potter attending Hogwarts," said Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "I would feel much easier in my mind if Potter withdrew and instead had private education away from the other students." _

_(For more on Albus Dumbledore's demotion from office, please turn to page 17)_

Eloise finished reading and looked up across the lake, lost in thought. It all seemed so improbable. Yes, it had been extremely unsettling when Harry had gotten back from the maze clutching Cedric's dead body, and when he had talked to that snake in second year, but she knew he wouldn't do all that for attention. He just wasn't that sort of person. He had had plenty of times to make himself more known or popular and had bypassed all of them. He could be mentally unstable she reasoned, maybe after everything he's gone through over the years, but the fact that he would be a danger to other students was completely absurd.

As for Dumbledore speech at the end of school on You-Know-Who return, well, it had just seemed so... unreal. You-Know-Who didn't really even represent to her a person, but more of a symbol of fear, or a monster that parents told their children about in order for them to do as they were told.

But what if he was back? No one had ever been clear on how he died, it had been just been announced one day in the paper. Was a little baby, even it was Harry Potter, really enough to kill such a powerful being? And if anyone should know, shouldn't it be Dumbledore, who had fought both Grindelwald and You-Know-Who?

Whatever the answers to these questions were, she knew she would not find them in the paper. There was only one place to find them, and she would be there by next week along with all the witches and wizards of Britain.

_A/N: Eloise's mother Dorithea is modeled after Daisy in The Great Gatsby. I imagine the house they live in to look like Pemberley from Pride and Prejudice._


	2. The Truth About Dwarfs

_Wait! Just hear me out! It was exam week! And the week before that was studying for exam week! So what's a poor girl like me gonna do? I promise that my next update will be much sooner._

_Acknowledgments: Thank you so much for the reviews! They're very encouraging, and I'm glad you like what I've done so far. Maybe if I'm lucky you'll like this chapter too... ) And thank you to my beta SerpentsAttire and her brilliant suggestions. _X)

_Disclaimer: I am but a kid, who plays in the garden of J.K Rowling's imagination._

**Chapter 2: The Truth About Dwarfs**

"This way please, Miss," said Toby Gentil, pushing the cart forward hurriedly, trying to clear a path admist the hustle and bustle of both muggles and wizards in the train station at King's Cross. "I do believe this year we're going to miss that blasted train."

Eloise smiled and shook her head disbelievingly. "I swear you say that every single time Toby, and yet we still always manage to make it."

He looked at her in mock disbelief. "Miss! How could you? Now that you've jinxed it, we're sure to miss it! We're gonna have to make a dash for it!" He took her by the hand and ran forward, the cart rattling madly, causing people to look around and stare.

She laughed in protest, and tried her best to keep up with his long legs and the overloaded cart. For the first time in a long time, she didn't care about what the other people around her thought. She was so relieved to get out of the house, to get away from her mother's watchful glare, away from the awkward silences, away from the useless rules of being well mannered. She was finally going back to school where she could sink back into her classes, sink back to being invisible, and most of all, see Harry Potter after three whole months of waiting.

Only just realizing they had reached their destination, Toby screeched to a stop, and so did Eloise in turn, still breathless from running and laughing at the same time.

They both leaned casually against the barrier and dissapeared from sight of the undisturbed muggles.

Despite the fact that she had been doing this for four years now, Eloise still held up her hands and closed her eyes and the sight of the incoming brick wall of the barrier and only opened them when she heard the welcoming sound of the exited voices of the students, ready for the start of the new term.

The familiar black and red train was the first thing to occupy her vision, the gold letters 'Hogwarts Express' shining in the newfound light. She closed her eyes, savoring the tangeled emotions of exitement, freedom, nervousness, relief, all balled up into one tight knot at the center of her stomach.

_He must already be here, she thought, as the train is about to leave,_ her eyes searching the crowds. There were so many people. Standing on her tiptoes, she impatiently tried to see through the groups of friends and family hugging each other goodbye.

Anxiety gripped her. What if he had been restrained from coming back from the Ministry and parents? That would mean she would never see him again! Unless she somehow managed to find out where he lived... But even that possibility was a bleak one.

"Nice dog, Harry!" called Lee Jordan, who was standing a few feet away from her.

She turned slowly in the direction that Lee's voice had been aimed at.

Her breath caught in her throat.

There he was. He was just as she had remembered him, with the exception of his face being a bit more angular, his hair a little shorter. He was wearing typical muggle attire, blue navy jeans and a loose grey sweatshirt. Around him were assembled quite a lot of people: Ron and Hermione of course, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the infamous Fred and George, their DADA teacher from fourth year Professor Moody, their DADA teacher from third year Professor Lupin, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties with bright purple hair, and a big black bearlike dog who stuck to Harry like glue.

_'Why are both of our Defense Against the Dark Arts professors with him at the station?'_ she wondered. '_Could it be because they are here to protect the other students from him? Will they be following him around all school year like guards?'_

But her fears were quickly reconciled when everyone, with the exception of Moody, Ron and Hermione, turned to give Harry a hug goodbye. Even his dog reared up majestically on his hind legs to bid him farewell before Mrs. Weasley pushed him off.

Feeling slightly envious at the amount of people gathered there around him, she looked back at Toby who had just gotten back from loading her luggage onto the train. She smiled fondly at his black but now streaked with tufts of gray mustache, his huge muscular arms that had lifted her up in the air so many times when she was little, the small bald patch on the top of his head that everyday he applied a thick layer of sun protection salve on, even in the middle of winter.

As the conductor called for everyone to start boarding, Toby gruffly envelopped her into a hug. She pressed her nose deep into his warm woolen jacket and sighed contently. She remembered earlier that day when Ben had handed her a small bouquet of the first tulips that season, Mrs. Boulanger's tearful goodbye as she stuffed as many baked goods she could fit in her bag for the trip and all the waiters and waitresses lined up in the living room, waving frantically as she and Toby had stepped into the fireplace.

In reality, she had nothing to be envious of, she realized. Although not present, she knew all the servants of the Midgen Mansion were thinking of her now, as the clock overheard struck eleven.

Climbing onto the train, she looked back only once at Toby, who raised his hand in farewell, before turning to her usual compartment on the train.

All the upper class girls had always chose to reside in the front four compartments in the train, located closest to the refreshments and bathrooms. Several charms had been cast by some of the older girls to make these compartments considerably more comfortable and luxurious than the others. In her first year she had sat there with the others there, but after the first year had gone by, she knew they wanted her to disappear from their group as much as she did.

Eloise went immediately to compartment 5, careful to make sure to keep the doors from banging shut so as to not attract the unwanted attention of others. The compartment, due to a Weasley experiment gone awry, hadn't been occupied for quite some time, and she had been going there ever since second year. True, it did smell rather strongly of burnt cabbage, and there was a slight blue tinge to the windows, but it was a place to obtain the invisibility in which she so desperately sought.

She reclined gratefully on the compartment seat, propping her back up against the wall and looked outside at the fast passing lush green hills of the english countryside and the cows grazing peacefully on them. The bright sun streamed through the windows, making her eyes droop, and her body relax.

"... my mother was gone to Italy all summer, no doubt having affairs with lots of handsome italian men." Laughter sounded within the adjoining compartment.

"Well, my mother spends all of her time at the Ministry. She's very close to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," came the voice of Prissy Andrews.

Eloise sat up straighter, her curiosity aroused. Prissy knew who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was? What strange and unusual teacher would it be this year to take the so called cursed job? She pressed her ear harder against the wall.

"So... you know who it will be then?" squeaked a voice she didn't recognize, undoubtedly someone in the younger years.

"Of course I do," Prissy said in her superior voice. "I've even met her on more than one occasion."

Silence ensued, and Eloise could almost feel the heightening suspense. After what seemed like forever, Anne said, "Well... who is it?"

More silence, and she could almost see Prissy leaning back, smiling contently, enjoying her power over her audience of girls.

"Her name is Dolores Umbridge, but most people know her as the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister."

Several people gasped. "The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister as our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? But... But..." said Rebecca, shocked.

"But what?" replied Prissy. "Do you honestly think that Dumbledore will be Headmaster at the school much longer? Or that stupid idiot of a gamekeeper? Sooner or later the school will be under the rightful control of the Ministry. Now is the time to show where our true loyalties lie."

"She's right," said the voice of Marietta Edgecomb. "My parents said we should do all we can to help Professor Umbridge feel welcome at Hogwarts. She will be staying there for what the Ministry hopes to be quite a while. If we cooperate, then we may be able to get placed somewhere important in the Ministry to maintain the family status."

Murmurs errupted, only to stop when Jasmine Ashe said loudly, "I don't believe that after this long Professor Dumbledore will just step aside and let the Ministry take over. And what about Harry Potter? Yes, supposedly he's gone mental, but he's still the wizarding world's hero isn't he? The Ministry can't overule that."

Prissy Andrews laughed, a high pitched girly shriek. "Harry Potter? I'd give it a week before he's shipped off to St. Mungos." Another laugh.

"Indefinitely."

Eloise shivered, and pulled her dark red jacket over her shoulders. Suddenly, there seemed to be no more sun shinning through the windows, only ominous gray clouds. Removing her ear from the wall, she quickly got up to move to the other side of the compartment. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the sound of their inchoative chatter and instead mull over the information she had just received.

_'Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister is to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?!'_ she thought in shock.

She had heard the name often enough at the dining room table, her mother never failed to sing her praises should the right moment arise. But it had been quite some time since her last encounter with the woman... Six years in fact...

_"I'm so glad you had the time to join us, Dolores. You must be so busy at the Ministry these days," simpered Mrs. Midgen._

_"Thank you Dorithea," replied Umbridge. "Things have been rather rough it's true, but I simply had to attend one of your monthly knitting meetings, I do so enjoy the activity. Why," she said, putting down her teacup and gesturing to the pink wooly cardigan she had on, "I just made this myself about three weeks ago."_

_All the women immediately flocked to her side, examining it while endless complements flowed from their mouths._

_"It's so elaborate," observed Mrs. Lavish. "So carefully woven together! And of course you look simply ravishing in it."_

_There were many words that came to mind, looking at Umbridge in her pink cardigan, but ravishing was definitely not one of them. She reminded Eloise more of a gigantic salmon, her large beady eyes darting around until they found an appropriate subject, which then they would fix themselves on unblinkingly._

_She noticed with a start, that those eyes had found hers, and she was being intensly scrutinized by the salmo- Umbridge. It made her feel on the whole, rather sick._

_Quickly she looked away, and tried instead to focus on the blue violet colored mittens that were magically being knitted by one of the other women seated beside her on the couch imprinted with hydrangea flowers._

_Albert Nain came forward, his small figure almost toppling over under the big tea tray bearing more cups and a fresh pitcher of mango tea. Following tradition, he went straight over to the guest of honor, Umbridge, to offer her the first refill. _

_At first she did not notice him, as he barely reached the top of the table. But when the other womens' gazes were averted, she looked down too. Upon seeing his miniscule form holding up the porcelain glass she smiled widely, so you could see every single one of her perfectly white teeth glisten in the sun, before accepting it._

_Albert went around the table refilling everyone's glass, stopping last at Eloise, with her being the youngest. Trying to cheer her up from her obvious boredom he whispered, "Tonight's story will be 'The Truth About Being a Mermaid', just in case you wanted to know."_

_"What's it about?" she whispered back, trying to contain her excitement._

_He winked, and disappeared through one of the endless doors leading out of the room. _

_The Truth About Being a Mermaid? Did an actual mermaid write it, or was it just another one of those books by wizards to make you sympathize more with another species? Or maybe it was a metaphorical title like that time when-_

_"Eloise," said her mother through clenched teeth. "I believe Dolores is asking you a question."_

_She swallowed, and turned her attention to Umbridge the salmon, who had again put on her hideous and nerve wracking smile._

_"I said dear, what did that servant say to you? I noticed that you were talking."_

'Just exhale, and answer her question. You weren't doing anything wrong. Don't act like you just got caught with murder or something.'

_"I... we... we were just talking about the story he's going to read to me tonight."_

_"Oh, how darling. Bedtime stories!," exclaimed Umbridge, as all the other women laughed. "Do you play together too? He is about your height. Why I believe my house elf is taller!" More laughter sounded throughout the room, as the women tried to contain themselves for fear of tea coming out of their noses._

_Eloise didn't know what was pinker, her face or Umbridge's cardigan. Why did she have to make bedtime stories sound so infantile? It wasn't as though she couldn't read, she just liked hearing Albert's calm and reassuring voice before falling asleep. And so what if Albert was small? That was only because-_

_"_**Albert**_," she said, emphasizing the name Albert and not servant, "is only short because he's half dwarf." _

_Umbridge gasped, as if Eloise had uttered the most vile and rude word known to mankind, before turning to Mrs. Midgen._

_"Is this true?" she asked, her eyes rapidly approaching the size of goose eggs. _

_For once, Eloise's mother seemed confused._

_"That the servant is part dwarf?" she inquired. Dorithea nodded her head. "Why... yes, it is true."_

_Umbridge's eyes were now the size of ferris wheels and her jaw hang loosely by a thread._

_"But... but... my dear, do you not know how dangerous dwarfs are?" _

_Dorithea's hand now covered her mouth, and she shook her head._

_"Yes, oh yes. I wish you had consulted me first before hiring him. Why it was just last week at the Ministry where a couple adopted a dwarf orphan from an asylum and he set fire to their house. On purpose. Burnt them to a crisp in their beds."_

_"No!" exclaimed the others._

_"And there was another case six months ago, over in Canada where a dwarf put a venomous tentacula in the well and an entire family died in agony before Ministry officials arrived."_

_"Well...," said Mrs. Midgen, now very flustered, "I've always had my qualms about hiring him of course, but he's a good worker and since he's so small he's able to do a lot of things other can't, like crawling underneath the dresser to dust off the floor but I never even imagined-" She was getting more and more agitated, picking up her cup several times only to put it back on the coaster without taking a sip._

_"It's quite all right Dorithea, you simply didn't know. No one blames you," said Dolores Umbridge, patting her hand reassuringly. "It's not your fault he's a half breed. You simply dismiss him and there's no harm done."_

_"NO!"_

_Everyone looked up, surprised to see Eloise standing, almost as if they had forgotten she was there. She was shaking slightly, and her hands were clenched into small fists. _

_"Albert would never do such a thing! Ever! How can you judge an entire race on what one or two have done?! That's like saying all witches and wizards are mass murders like Sirius Black and You-Know-Who!" _

_Everyone gasped, and there was a sound of breaking china as Mrs. Edgecomb's teacup slipped from her hands at the mention of You-Know-Who. _

_"Eloise!" said Mrs. Midgen, scandalized, "Apologize to Dolores at once!" _

_Eloise felt dizzy. She almost always obeyed her mother and she never, ever, embarrassed her in public. That was the number one rule as far as her mother was concerned. Always maintain a respectable figure to society. And she had just broken it. _

_"No," she replied, surprised that her voice was even, despite the fact that her body was shaking like the hawaiian girl on the dashboard of Toby's muggle car._

_"What did you say?" Dorithea hissed._

_"I said NO!" yelled Eloise, and ran out the door, up the stairs two at a time, and into her room._

_Not only had she slammed the door closed and took a couple deep breath did she calm down enough to walk over and sit on her bed._

_She was going to get it, that was for sure. She could hardly imagine what sort of punishment she would receive for an outburst as big as that one, and in front of all her mother's high society friends no less. And that Umbridge woman. She would undoubtedly be confined to her room for the rest of the month and receive silent treatment from everyone, even the servants on her mother's request. Damn._

_"But I don't regret it," she whispered. "Not for one second."_

_She stopped as a flash of silver caught her eye. A knitting needle slowly came from under the crack of her door to hover magically beside her. She stared, transfixed as it lowered herself until it was level with her hand, before plunging itself into the tip of her middle finger._

_Eloise bit back a shriek as it sunk deeper and deeper, the blood dripping from it onto her clean white sheet._

_Finally, it wrenched itself out and went back the way it came. She slowly got up from the bed and opened her door just in time to see fly into Umbridge's outstretched hand._

Eloise opened her eyes at the sound of the frantic running around, all the students hurriedly trying to to get their luggage assembled. She glanced down at her watch. They were due to arrive soon, and it was definitely time to start changing before turning to get her baggage ready.

She lifted up her right hand to pull on her robes, unable to help but to glance at the small, circle-shaped white scar on the tip of her finger.

_A/N: House points to whoever can find the _Anne of Green Gables_ quote and who said it! Albert Nain's last name means dwarf in french, and for Toby Gentil, 'gentil' is french for nice. And for those you don't already know, the name Dolores comes from the french root 'douleur', which means pain._

_As Regann would say, if you are so inclined, leave a review. _


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